Chapter 197 -

Chapter 197: Chapter

Yueqing smoothed her heavy silk skirt and stepped out of her room. Lu Yue waited nearby, and Nine walked behind them in his human form, looking way too happy.

They walked through the sunny courtyard where the grand family carriages were lined up. Servants rushed around with bags while guards checked the wheels.

When they reached her carriage, Nine stepped up with a cheeky grin and held out his hand.

"Careful, Host," he said in his normal voice. "Those skirts are so heavy that if you trip, even your pride won’t survive."

Yueqing shot him a sharp look. "I can get in just fine."

She ignored his hand, lifted her skirts, and climbed the steps. "I’m fine."

Nine just shrugged. "Of course."

She sat down inside, but the carriage shook a second later.

She looked up as a tall shadow blocked the light. Wenzhe climbed right inside without a word. His broad shoulders made the small space feel tiny. He sat across from her and pulled the heavy door shut, blocking out the noise of the courtyard.

Yueqing glared at him. "Why are you in here?"

Wenzhe didn’t answer. He just sat there and stared.

Outside, the rest of the family got settled. Aunt Ronghua and Gu Zhen rode with the young kids in one carriage, while Qianqian, Lanyin, and Gu Yue shared another. At the front, Yunhao and Gu Xiao led the guards on horseback.

With a sharp shout, the horses pulled forward, and the carriages rolled away from the estate.

Inside their quiet carriage, Yueqing moved as far away from Wenzhe as possible and stared out the window. Across from her, Wenzhe rested his arm against the wall, his dark eyes locked straight onto her.

She turned her head. "What?"

"Nothing," Wenzhe said flatly.

"Then stop staring at me."

"I didn’t know I needed permission to look at my own wife."

Yueqing narrowed her eyes. "And I didn’t know you remembered you had a wife."

Wenzhe looked away, his jaw tight, as the carriage rolled steadily toward the palace.

The carriage gave a sudden, sharp lurch as the horses surged forward over a stone in the road, throwing Yueqing completely off balance.

Before she could catch herself, she tumbled forward right off the seat, crashing straight into Wenzhe’s lap with a breathless gasp.

Her hands flew out to brace against his broad chest, her face inches from his as she stared up at him in wide-eyed shock. Wenzhe reacted instantly, his strong hands instinctively wrapping around her waist to steady her so she wouldn’t hit the floor.

The small carriage went dead silent.

Wenzhe looked down at her, a dangerous, knowing glint flashing in his dark eyes as his grip on her waist tightened just a fraction.

"Clumsy," Wenzhe murmured, his voice low and right against her ear.

Yueqing’s face burned red as she scrambled to push herself back up. "The road is bumpy! It’s not my fault!"

Yueqing immediately tried to shove against his chest and scramble back to her side of the carriage, but Wenzhe didn’t budge an inch.

Instead of letting her go, his arm tightened like a steel band around her waist, completely blocking her escape. With a smooth, effortless pull, he forced her right back down, keeping her firmly seated right on his lap.

Yueqing gasped, her hands flying back to his chest to push him away. "Let go of me! What are you doing?"

Wenzhe leaned down slightly, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a sharp, burning intensity. "Stay still," he murmured, his voice low and firm. "Unless you want to tumble onto the floor again every time the wheels hit a stone."

Yueqing glared at him, her cheeks burning bright red as she tried to wiggle out of his grip. "I can sit just fine on my own seat, thank you very much!"

"Clearly," Wenzhe replied smoothly, a faint, mocking edge to his tone as he kept her locked in place, refusing to give her an inch of space.

Yueqing glared down at him, her face burning so hot she was sure she looked like a boiled crab, though she refused to let him see how badly he was flustering her.

Wenzhe looked up at her, a slow, dangerous smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His grip on her waist remained firm, completely trapping her against him.

"What’s the matter?" Wenzhe murmured, his voice dropping into a low, mocking tease right beside her ear. "Why don’t you want to stay in my lap? Are you scared of me... or what I might do to you?"

Yueqing’s eyes widened in sheer indignation. Scared? Of him? Please!

"Scared?" she snapped back, lifting her chin with as much fake dignity as she could muster while straddling a General. "In your dreams! I just don’t like sitting on uncomfortable furniture, and your lap is entirely too bony!"

Wenzhe’s smirk deepened into a quiet, rumbling chuckle against her chest. "Bony, is it? You’re welcome to check again if you want to make sure."

"You—!" Yueqing flushed a brilliant crimson, swatting angrily at his shoulder. "Let go of me right this instant, you arrogant lunatic!"

"Right, the third Prince," Wenzhe muttered, his voice dripping with freezing sarcasm. "I’m sure you’re just dying to get to the palace so you can lock eyes with your precious Xiao Chen."

Yueqing rolled her eyes so hard she nearly pulled a muscle, letting out a loud, dramatic groan.

"Please," she scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "The only reason I want to set foot in that brain-rotting palace is to check on my brothers and my father. I couldn’t care less about Xiao Chen or his ugly face. Now, leave me alone!"

Without waiting another second, Yueqing clenched her fist and gave him a hard, satisfying whack right on his thigh.

The surprise hit made Wenzhe grunt and loosen his iron grip just enough. With a frantic scramble, she shoved off his chest and hurled herself across the carriage, slamming her back against the opposite wall and glaring at him like a wild cat ready to attack.

[I’m mad at Xiao Chen, why would I want to see his face?] Yueqing fumed inside her head, her teeth grinding as she glared out the window. [If that fake, two-faced bastard dares cross my path today, I’ll punch him right in his stupid nose.]

Hearing her loud, unfiltered thoughts echo in the small carriage, Wenzhe stopped rubbing his leg. He tilted his head, watching her angry face with a look of pure confusion.

Why is she so mad at him? Wenzhe thought, narrowing his eyes as he watched her huff and puff.

The carriage suddenly rolled to a stop, the loud rumble of the wheels fading away as the whole line paused for a break.

A soft knock hit the wooden door.

"My Lord, Lady Yueqing, here is your food," a maid called out from outside.

The door opened just a tiny bit. A pair of hands pushed a basket of food inside, and then the door clicked shut again as the maid ran off to help the others.

Yueqing’s stomach gave a loud rumble. She had been too busy glaring at Wenzhe to notice how hungry she was. Ignoring him completely, she crawled over to the basket, untied the cloth, and pulled out two warm meat buns and a small cup of tea.

Yueqing took a bite of her warm meat bun, but then she paused. She looked down at the basket, and then across the carriage at Wenzhe.

He was just sitting there with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead. He didn’t even touch the food.

Yueqing frowned. She chewed slowly, thinking. "Are you going to eat?" she asked.

Wenzhe said nothing. He didn’t even blink.

She narrowed her eyes, finished her bite, and walked towards him.

She stopped right in front of him and reached out, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey," she muttered. "Are you alright?"

Wenzhe slowly turned his head to look at her. His face looked a bit pale, and he let out a slow breath.

"I’m cold," he whispered.

Before Yueqing could pull her hand back, Wenzhe’s arm shot out with surprising strength. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard, crashing her right against his chest.

Wenzhe slumped forward, burying his face directly against her shoulder. His heavy, burning weight pressed her down against the seat.

"Wait—" Yueqing started, trying to push him up.

Against her collarbone, his lips moved, murmuring a few weak, broken words she couldn’t quite catch. Then, his grip went completely limp. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold right in her arms.

Yueqing tried to shove his heavy body away, but he was completely out cold.

"Hey! Wake up!" she hissed, shaking his shoulder. "Don’t you dare pass out on me!"

A sharp, stabbing pain shot right through her head from hearing his muffled thoughts suddenly cut off, and she winced, clutching her temple with one hand.

Panic spiked in her chest. She couldn’t deal with a giant, unconscious General right now.

Yueqing scrambled toward the door, threw it open, and screamed out into the courtyard, "Dong Li! Get over here right now!"